Ringleader of Speeding Fine Evasion Scheme Jailed

The principal figure in a fraudulent scheme that enabled over a dozen motorists to circumvent penalty points for speeding offenses has been incarcerated. Khuram Yaqoob supplied fabricated names and addresses on behalf of drivers attempting to evade prosecution for speeding penalties, as heard at Bradford Crown Court. Yaqoob, who resides on Bawtry Road in Doncaster, received thousands of pounds for his services, with the illicit operation active between June 2017 and December 2019. An additional 18 drivers were sentenced on Tuesday and Wednesday, having either admitted to or been found guilty of perverting the course of justice. Judge Jonathon Rose, the Recorder of Bradford, characterized Yaqoob as “the central figure and ringleader” in the conspiracy. The scam was uncovered in 2019 when Yaqoob was arrested in connection with firearms offenses, and his mobile phone subsequently revealed details of the fraudulent activity. Yaqoob, 35, received a prison sentence of three years and four months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Among the other drivers who received sentences was Russell Bland, 46, of Waterwheel Rise, Lockwood, Huddersfield, who paid more than £200 to have his speeding points “go away”. Bland was jailed for 11 months, with Judge Rose stating that “deterrent and punitive sentences” were necessary for those who undermined the administration of justice. Idris Yousaf, 45, a taxi driver from Huddersfield, was also sentenced to six months in prison after the court was informed that he could have faced disqualification from driving if he had accumulated three more points on his licence. Yousaf, from Sycamore Avenue, Golcar, paid Yaqoob a total of £290 to manage his Notice of Intended Prosecution after being caught traveling at 36mph in a 30mph zone. A secondary school teacher from Bradford narrowly avoided an immediate custodial sentence after being detected by a speed camera doing 95mph on a motorway in December 2017. Akib Mahmood, 30, of Wimborne Drive, Bradford, admitted to utilizing Yaqoob’s services, describing himself as “naive and stupid” at the time. Mahmood received a six-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, but is required to comply with an electronically monitored night-time curfew for the next six months and complete 100 hours of unpaid community work. The other drivers who were sentenced included: Nosheen Ashraf, 31, of Rushton Road, Bradford, was also jailed for seven months Waqas Hanif, 33, Lilycroft Road, Bradford, jailed for nine months Ibrar Hussain, 28, Bronshill Road, Bradford, jailed for nine months Usman Sulaman, 37, Princeville Road, Bradford, jailed for 10 months Mohammed Macmour, 31, Bentcliffe Drive, Leeds, jailed for 12 months Seth Mahmood, 26, Alvanley Court, Bradford, jailed for 10 months Safina Iqbal, 34, Scholes Street, Bradford, six months in prison suspended for two years with a six-month electronically monitored curfew Safyan Sarwar, 32, Lindley Moor Road, Elland, jailed for 10 months Shazad Hamid, 46, Emm Lane, Bradford, eight months suspended for two years with an electronically monitored curfew for nine months Mohammed Bhatti, 26, Grange Drive, Bradford, jailed for six months Haroon Mushtaq, 28, Woodlands Crescent, Halifax jailed for 10 months Qaiser Rehman, 31, Whitby Road, Bradford jailed for 14 months Mohammed Shakeel, 32, Church Street, Heckmondwike jailed for six months Billy Thomas-Hopwood, 35, Yewdall Way, Bradford jailed for six months Mohammed Yunis, 28, Chapel Lane, Bradford jailed for seven months Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.